Thread: Friable grit stones

Hmmmm not necessarily, not even on all "Finer" stones, but with some of the lower grit naturals I guess it could be possible, you would have to experiment and see...
In the past it was thought to be only on certain Japanese stones that this occurs, but we have all been experimenting with the Coticules and finding some different/promising results there to..
You have to try it yourself and see what you find in the mud

My concern is, on the stones I tried it, this friable grit doesn't exist. Deep scratches remain deep no matter how long you work with their slurry, the slurry doesn't get finer. And referring to the finishers we are all interested, their slurry does get smoother, but it looses sharpness, since, no matter it's shape, it is still too coarse to be of any use compared to the stone with water only.

Originally Posted by Vasilis

My concern is, on the stones I tried it, this friable grit doesn't exist. Deep scratches remain deep no matter how long you work with their slurry, the slurry doesn't get finer. And referring to the finishers we are all interested, their slurry does get smoother, but it looses sharpness, since, no matter it's shape, it is still too coarse to be of any use compared to the stone with water only.

Ok let me see here, the first part about the deep scratches, I guess those don't work for this idea not all slurry is friable

The second part I am a bit lost with again, I am not sure what you are saying there, your stones don't work well with this technique I guess??? or you are not using the same technique we are???... I am just not sure which...

I'm not sure what is happening today, I usually don't have problems like this.
So, once more;
I'm using the same technique. Working with the slurry until you get bored, for me this limit is two hours, and I used 3 stones, one Jnat, one UK slate and the one from South Africa (a whole day for this). No coticules, the particles are already too rounded, and no Thuringians because the stones are too soft. I did observed a change in the smoothness, but the edge lost its sharpness. It felt close to how sharp it is with water, but there was a difference, it wasn't sharp enough with slurry. That is what I was trying to say.
So, did you find your edges as sharp or sharper with this method vs plain water?

The Zulu Grey doesn't work with this for me, I tried it too, No Joy there
I have not tried it with the Welsh Slates but I don't hold much hope for them from past use with slurry on them, they seem to like the dilution method just fine..
Your J-nat you have to experiment with to see what works best, it took 100's of razors across my Nakayama before I decided exactly what worked best for me, keep in mind none of those were "Bad" but now there is this tiny bit of extra I feel is better

This is not a difference of Good or Bad this is stupidity at it highest level, we are really trying to nitpick tiny improvements..

Thanks. You have helped me. I posted the last strange(?) big post, because this became like a new trend, the new absolute method everybody has to use. I was talking about it with a few friends from here, and they all sounded like they found this method to be superior to the "traditional" make slurry, dilute, than plain water method, we know. So, I needed someone to disagree with me, or at least tell me that it isn't such a big thing compared to the, now, traditional thing. Anyway, thanks.

Vasilis, I very much share your puzzlement at the way the naturals are discussed. It often seems like a cross between voodoo magic and a romance novel. 'Months of reading on jnats before I got one - and I don't think it helped. The only thing that *did* help was *alot* of experimentation. 'Hearing that even coticule grit changes some (whether breaking down or rounding sharp edges) is new to me. That has been a more difficult stone for me to get the sharpness I like. As always, these discussions act like fertilizer for my imagination - giving me more things to experiment with. I appreciate your posting.

I even try slurry on my synthetic stones, and find that some work better than others. Some not at all. I think its a great idea to keep experimenting, to keep trying new things, and keep learning as much as possible.

What about using Zulu slurry on a Translucent Ark? or Welsh slurry on a Zula? so many combinations and change ups to try!
When doing the pyramid was the big thing, I was doing "pig tails" Pig tails are in? I'm doing circles!
I dont believe there is "a way" to hone. I think there are "ways" to hone.
Keep at it guys. I like to learn from others as much as I like to learn by doing!

While looking at the Coticule surface and slurry in the microscope, I have not observed any significant break down in the garnets; however, the Mica does eventually break down into single layer flakes.

used_coti_slurry_02 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

When I was trying to capture a sample of slurry, it appeared that the mica flakes remained suspended in the slurry, while the garnets and the unbroken bits of mica sink to the bottom. When I look a the surface of dried droplet of concentrated slurry, all I see is a blanket of mica flakes (presumably with the garnet below). On the other hand, if I dilute the slurry and capture some from the bottom, there are mostly whole garnets.

My question is what role does the mica play in the honing progression?
I believe crushed mica makes a good lubricant. In the microscope, it reminds me of graphite (also a lubricant).
I wonder if the mica flakes cover the cutting edges of the garnets, reducing their cutting efficiency over time.

How do these observations sit with your honing experiences?

Originally Posted by fuzzychops

How do these observations sit with your honing experiences?

This is the departure point,,, Although you are looking at the slurry through the microscope, you are not "using" the slurry, we are seeing a difference from the simple Dilution method to the Crushed slurry method.. Why we are seeing that difference we are not sure... We also do not have a reference to your "Breakdown" ..